A UNIVERSITY student whose dyslexia was only diagnosed three years ago has won an award named after UB40 musician Brian Travers for coming top of the class.

A UNIVERSITY student whose dyslexia was only diagnosed three years ago has won an award named after UB40 musician Brian Travers for coming top of the class.

Kate Dean, aged 28, of Moseley has picked up the Brian Travers Award for Academic Achievement after gaining the highest marks for her first-class BA Honours degree in Media and Communication specialising in the Music Industry at Birmingham City University.

And Kate, who is a saxophonist like Brian, says receiving the award means the world to her.

“I had really struggled with education in school and my dyslexia was not diagnosed until I went to university as a mature student. I had always thought I would never go to university and this award recognised that I had done really well there,” she said.

Kate, who grew up in Cheltenham before moving to Birmingham eight years ago, finished school with two A-levels but was also a member of ska band Skankt. She spent the next few years working in the music industry until deciding to go back into education.

“I had become increasingly interested in music management and I was spending a lot of my time doing that and working for small record labels,” she said. “I really debated with myself whether it was worth going to university but eventually decided it was.”

Kate was no sooner enrolled on the course at BCU than she decided to tackle her suspected dyslexia.

“I realised I probably had it but it had never been diagnosed. I asked my tutors and then did lots of tests and then it was diagnosed,’’ she added.

“Having the diagnosis really helped as it meant that, when I was writing, if a sentence was not making sense or words were misspelled I knew why. It was also little things like using coloured sheets to help me read and knowing I needed to give myself more time to read papers.

“But dyslexia did not hold me back at all. It was an obstacle but that was all. What this award shows is that dyslexia does not need to stop you from doing what you want to. There are lots of people who are incredibly successful who have dyslexia.”

Kate is now working in events management and was recently involved in organising the Shambhala Music Festival at Market Harborough. And she keeps her hand in on the music front. “I am still with the band, although we have now changed our name to Waiting for Kate and I do more of the management,” she said.

And Kate has well and truly been bitten by the education bug.

“I am starting a Masters in the music industry at BCU later this month,” she says. “I would like to do some years working in events and music but then I would really like to go into academia, doing research papers and lecturing.

Mr Travers, who has worked with BCU’s School of Media on a range of projects including mentoring, said: “The School of Media produces some talented graduates and it is a pleasure to be able to offer them support and encouragement as they embark on their careers within the music industry.”